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Robert Tabern has been Senior Editor of the Inter-County Leader since July 2022.
Raised in the north suburbs of Chicago, Robert discovered a passion for journalism while attending Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois. While there, Robert wrote for the student newspaper ("The Torch") and hosted shows on the school’s radio and cable television stations (WMWA-FM, WGBK-FM, and GBN-TV). One of his first jobs was running a camera at sporting events for TCI, the local cable company.
In 1997, Robert moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas, to attend Arkansas State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. During college, he worked on-air and behind the scenes at several local radio stations, including KASU-FM, KDRS-AM, and KLQZ-FM. Robert also served as a producer for three years at KAIT-TV, the ABC affiliate serving portions of Northeast Arkansas, Southeast Missouri, and West Tennessee. It was there that he covered events such as the Westside Middle School Shooting in March 1998, the tribulations of Y2K, and the local impacts of the Sept. 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks. Robert was also a columnist for his college's newspaper ("The Arkansas State University Herald").
After graduating from college in December 2001, Robert held various media and communication roles here in the Midwest, including producing and reporting for WKJG-TV (NBC) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, senior news producer at WDJT-TV (CBS) in Milwaukee, and assignment manager/travel reporter at WTMJ-TV (NBC) in Milwaukee. Robert also worked in emergency communications for the City of Oak Creek’s police and fire departments, including coordinating media inquiries and press conferences during the Sikh Temple Shooting in August 2012. He also served as Tour Operations Coordinator for Country Travel Discoveries in suburban Milwaukee from 2015 until 2019, designing and leading senior bus and railroad tours across the United States and Canada.
Robert moved to Northwest Wisconsin in December 2019 to become the Director of Passenger Development at the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad in Washburn County. COVID-19 sidelined those plans, shutting down the railroad for two years. During this time, he handled social media and documented the railroad's purchase of the historic Mark Twain Zephyr.
Robert decided to return to his roots—a career in journalism—as Senior Editor of the Inter-County Leader in July 2022. Robert adds, "One of the things that got me interested in working at the Inter-County Leader is that it's the last remaining cooperatively owned newspaper in America. In a world of media mega mergers and layoffs, it is actually written in the charter that the Leader can never be bought or sold off. That's what got me back into journalism."
In his spare time, Robert enjoys traveling around the country and the globe. He is also a “national park buff” and one of just a handful of people who have visited all 433 National Park Service units in the United States. Robert co-founded and currently manages a 501(c)(3) non-profit railroad organization called the Midwest Rail Rangers, which provides historical programs on trains across a seven-state region. He also serves as Vice President of the St. Croix Falls Historical Society, where he writes and edits the quarterly “Antiquarian” newsletter. Robert has also written and published more than 20 railroad history books and railroad route guides. He also enjoys photography and has some of his work shown in professional galleries across the United States.
Robert, who currently lives on Big Lake in Eureka Center, Wisconsin, is only the sixth editor in the Inter-County Leader’s 93-year history. He is passionate and committed to covering community festivals, sporting events, government, schools, breaking news, and much more. Robert says, “Most of the television news we get here in Barron, Burnett, Polk, and Washburn Counties comes from stations between 70 and 100 miles away in many cases. And then, crews only come here when something really negative is happening. I love Northwest Wisconsin… and want to put a spotlight on the good going on in our towns. I love getting out there and covering events, from girls' volleyball games to breaking news stories to covering politicians visiting Northwest Wisconsin.”
Robert follows in the footsteps of earlier Inter-County Leader Editors, including Bennie Bye (1933-1953), Romain Brandt (1953-1958), Elmer Haumant (1958-1963), Bernice Asper (1963-1983), and Gary King (1983-2022).
You can catch Robert Tabern's column called "Tabern Live" on select weeks in the Inter-County Leader.
You can e-mail Robert at editor@iccpaonline.com
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Sarah Beth Radomsky started as a freelance writer for the Leader in June 2022 after walking in and asking if the paper was hiring writers, prompted by her father to “do something” with her writing talent. She was hired as an official reporter for the paper in August 2022 after “writing too much to be a ‘stringer’” – a term for someone who only writes occasionally. Untrained in traditional journalism, Sarah Beth grew up with a love of creative writing and a passion for learning about the stories of others through biographies and history.
Having grown up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, Sarah Beth enjoys nature and has developed a passion for the arts and literature, influenced by her parents. Her mother was a writer and editor, and her father was an electrical engineer who also studied the arts. Several supportive teachers also encouraged her to write and develop a passion for history.
After moving to Minnesota to attend the University of St. Catherine, she pursued studies that focused heavily on psychology, philosophy, social work, Spanish, and the arts, earning a degree in applied ethics with a minor in social welfare. During that time, she met her husband and began a career in mental health services.
Sarah Beth also went on to start a family and now has seven children, one of whom has special needs. She and her family moved frequently as independent contractors for eight years, living in the Kansas City area, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and later in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in Central Asia, where she learned Russian. She currently farms with her family on 25 acres in the village of Frederic. Sarah Beth has also worked as a mentor in the past and is a certified parent peer specialist.
In her spare time, she enjoys photography, especially landscapes involving clouds, farms, and nature. You might find her at the beach with her children, looking for treasures in the sand or, more likely, reporting on a local event near you with some children in tow, enjoying the activities with them. She also loves her local church community, Crosswalk, and spends a lot of time involved with activities and friends there. Of all the places she and her family have lived, she says country life and living is her favorite, and “This is where it is at.”
You can catch Sarah Beth's column called "From Our Local Leaders" every third Wednesday in the Inter-County Leader.
You can e-mail Sarah Beth at sarah.radomsky@leadericcpa.com
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Jeanne Alling is a special correspondent for the Inter-County Leader when it comes to various agriculture events in Polk and Burnett Counties. You can read her “Ag Connection” reports several times per month in the Leader.
Jeanne grew up on a dairy farm near Centuria, and then went on to attend UW-Madison in Dairy Science and the Farm and Industry Sort Course. She also attended UW-River Falls to be certified to teach agricultural education. Jeanne has taught ‘ag ed’ at the Ondossagon, Ashland, Shell Lake, and Unity Schools for over 30 years. She also subbed in ‘ag ed’ at Turtle Lake and Luck Schools.
When not reporting on ‘ag news’ for the Leader, Jeanne is extremely active in the community as a member of the Polk County Agriculture Advocates, Unity Lions Club, Roundabouts HCE Club, Polk County HCE officer, Polk County Fair Board, Turtle Lake FFA Alumni, South Milltown 4H leader, South Milltown Schoolhouse Foundation, Polk County 4H Leaders Federation, Centuria Memory Days committee, Advisor for the Unity Leo’s Club, and lifetime member of National FFA Alumni and Supporters. As Jeanne says, “If it’s for kids, I will support it.”
In her spare time, Jeanne loves to take photos and write, raise a vegetable garden for her family, and sell produce with homemade canned goods at the Balsam Lake Farmers Market. Her husband, Al, supports Jeanne’s community involvement. Her daughters, Johanna and Jena, get involved too with service programs. Jeanne also loves taking care of her grandson, Josiah.
Jeanne says, “Family is important to me, traditions are important, and serving others by writing about area events and people is important to me too. Having people become more ag-literate is my way of advocating agriculture in our community.”
Jeanne has been writing for the Leader for many years, but officially joined our team as a special correspondent with her “Ag Connection” reports in August 2022.
You can e-mail Jeanne at jeannealling77@gmail.com
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Devon Christensen started at the Inter-County Leader as a news reporter in June 2025. She grew up in Hudson with two older brothers. Devon was involved in competitive dance throughout her childhood and has always been an avid reader. After meeting her future husband while working at Fleet Farm and graduating from high school, Devon attended UW-La Crosse. This is where she realized her interest in writing. In May 2020, Devon graduated with her bachelor’s degree as an English Literature major and German Studies minor.
Following college, Devon lived in Somerset, where she adopted her first dog, Zelda (despite being a cat person), and got engaged. After that, Devon and her husband, Tyler, moved to River Falls and married in 2022, followed by a Jamaican honeymoon. In the fall of 2023, they bought their first house in Amery to start a family. Shortly after, Devon and Tyler welcomed their daughter, Lucy in January 2024.
One of Devon’s biggest hobbies is reading – Her favorite genres being thriller, romantic comedy, and memoir. She loves nature and enjoys going to state parks. As a sour beer fan, she is always looking for new breweries to check out. Devon also likes going thrifting and has a collection of 25 vintage cameras. Devon is a lifelong fan of the Green Bay Packers and makes it to at least one game per season.
Devon is ecstatic to explore more of Northwest Wisconsin as a reporter and to have the opportunity to focus on writing.
You can catch Devon's book review column called "The Novel Neighbor" every second Wednesday in the Inter-County Leader.
You can e-mail Devon at devon.christensen@leadericcpa.com
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Zach Zelinski began as a news reporter at the Inter-County Leader in September 2025.
Having grown up in Webster and Frederic, Zach was greatly involved in music in his childhood but also developed a passion for history and the language arts through his preferred classes. These interests matched closely to those highlighted at St. Olaf College, where variety in interests and disciplines are encouraged, and where vocation goes hand-in-hand with career training. He graduated from St. Olaf in May 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in English and Ancient Studies.
Though much of his undergrad studies tended towards literary analytics, Zach also took a keen interest in rhetorical practices and developments at the forefront of journalistic media. With interest and appreciation for the Leader’s maintenance of a cohesive community channel, Zach is glad to contribute to the hometown paper at a time when it matters.
Zach’s interests remain firmly rooted in literature, music, history, and current media perspectives. He also enjoys spending time with his family and his cats.
You can e-mail Zach at zach.zelinski@leadericcpa.com
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Jackie Libis is the newest reporter on the Inter-County Leader team, having joined as a news reporter in December 2025.
Home-grown in the City of Saint Croix Falls, Jackie was raised by the Saint Croix River.
An avid dog-walker and lover of Interstate Park, she has her fondest memories of walking in Lions Park with her mother and her husky. Trained at an early age by monks to unicycle and walk on stilts at St. John’s Circus Camp, she performed multiple roles in her high school plays, winning a few drama awards and a scholarship (she was also Snowball.
Queen). For talent shows, she performed playing her own music with classmates on piano or bass guitar.
Jackie studied undergrad at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she was awarded a prize for a poem she wrote about egg sandwiches. She graduated early with a degree in English Literature, despite her AP credits never transferring, and initially majored in Art History until her Junior year.
After college, she traveled to the Cayman Islands, where she spotted but was not eaten by a Blue Iguana.
She continues to study music, history, and anything else that interests her in the field or online, believing it is a fad. Never giving up on her musical dream, Jackie continues to play with other musicians, sometimes in public, occasionally on a Hammond organ.
You can e-mail Jackie at jackie.libis@leadericcpa.com
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